


settled

by moth_writes



Series: smiling fate [10]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: (they're about forty), Carry On Countdown (Simon Snow), F/M, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27895708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moth_writes/pseuds/moth_writes
Summary: Simon, Penny, Baz and Shepard: movie night....We have movie nights now....We’ve made a home, all of us, and every day we make it just a little better.
Relationships: Penelope Bunce/Shepard, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: smiling fate [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026844
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20
Collections: Carry On Countdown 2020





	settled

**Author's Note:**

> Done for the Carry On Countdown Day 11: Fluff

PENNY

We have movie nights now.

Once a week, we all-Simon, Baz, Shepard and I-go to one of our flats and watch movies and gorge on takeout until the early hours of the morning. Agatha comes too, when she’s here, but she’s living in America permanently now. Got the first degree out of all of us, actually. Veterinary sciences.

This time it’s at Simon and Baz’s. I’ve brought movies, Shepard has the snacks, and they’ve already ordered the takeout.

I use my door key to let us in and we take the elevator. I watch the lights click and ignore the feeling in my stomach like I’ve gone weightless. I’ve lived in London for years and I still haven’t gotten used to it.

I take Shepard’s free hand and clink our rings together. They’re new, only five months, but it feels like they’ve been there longer. Or like they were meant to be there.

He smiles at me, bright and crooked, and I squeeze his hand. I never thought I’d be here. 

But I’m almost forty, and my adventures are done. I get to have this now, get to settle down.

Simon opens the door for us and takes the bags from Shep. He’s older and he looks it, with wrinkles around his eyes and grey streaked through his hair.

I hug him tightly around the bags. He returns it as much as he can before I let go and continue past him.

Basil and I were having a debate about the rise in magickal-technological blends and the spells for them, and I want to continue it. I’m going to win-I even brought a few books to back me up.

…

BAZ

We sit with our trays of takeout and Shepard puts the first movie on.

We’ve figured out how to cast to the telly-as in cast screen, not cast a spell (Penny thought it needed magic at first until Simon pointed out it was made by Normals.)(I thought it needed magic at first too, though I’ll never admit it.)- so we’ve been making our way through Netflix’s selection.

Tonight is horror.

We don’t usually. None of us particularly care for it, but there’s only so many nights we can take of Shepard’s fantasy films-with added commentary-before we’re desperate.

I make my last point in Penelope and I’s debate and she concedes with a huff. I smirk and loop an arm around her shoulder.

“Now, now,” I say. I’m joking, and she knows it because she doesn’t push me away, just rolls her eyes and sighs. “If you had argued that…” I rehash all of her points and make up reasons why they’re wrong. I’m making them more and more wild and outlandish, though, and I can tell she isn’t listening because she doesn’t try to correct me.

“And that,” I finish, leaning back and into Simon, “is why Newton’s third law is utter rubbish and the whole system should be scrapped.”

That’s what finally breaks through to her and she turns slowly. I see my second death in her eyes.

“Okay,” Simon breaks in. He pulls me into him and we watch Penny inhale slowly. Shep’s almost crying, he’s been listening to the whole thing and holding in his laughter so as to not alert Penny.

“First of all, I will kill you,” Penny says slowly. Dangerously. “Second of all, _ I will kill you _ .”

We all wait with our breaths held to see what her next move is.

“You have three seconds. I suggest you  _ run _ .”

I do, jumping off the couch and pulling Simon with me. I’m almost forty, and so is he, but we’re both laughing in between bouts of breathless laughter.

We barricade ourselves in our bedroom. I lean against the door and Simon against me, laying his head on my shoulder. I thread my fingers through his hair and knead slowly.

“You probably shouldn’t of gone after Newton,” he says. Penny did her master’s thesis on his magickal and Normal advancements, and she’ll debate on that for  _ hours _ . Has before, actually.

“Maybe not the best choice,” I concede. Penny thumps on the door behind me.

“Maybe not,” Simon mocks and presses his face harder into my neck. His shoulders shake and his hands grip my waist and he laughs and laughs. Bright and airy and something I’m still so grateful to hear all these years later.

I press a kiss to his forehead and let myself laugh too.

Penny is still ranting to the door, and Shepard has given up trying to stop her-I can hear the telly in the living room playing while he provides a running commentary and critiques the various ghoulies in it. Simon is pressed against me, laughing.

And I’m happy.

PENNY

We have movie nights now.

Once a week, we all-Simon, Baz, Shepard and I-go to one of our flats and watch movies and gorge on takeout until the early hours of the morning. Agatha comes too, when she’s here, but she’s living in America permanently now. Got the first degree out of all of us, actually. Veterinary sciences.

This time it’s at Simon and Baz’s. I’ve brought movies, Shepard has the snacks, and they’ve already ordered the takeout.

I use my door key to let us in and we take the elevator. I watch the lights click and ignore the feeling in my stomach like I’ve gone weightless. I’ve lived in London for years and I still haven’t gotten used to it.

I take Shepard’s free hand and clink our rings together. They’re new, only five months, but it feels like they’ve been there longer. Or like they were meant to be there.

He smiles at me, bright and crooked, and I squeeze his hand. I never thought I’d be here. 

But I’m almost forty, and my adventures are done. I get to have this now, get to settle down.

Simon opens the door for us and takes the bags from Shep. He’s older and he looks it, with wrinkles around his eyes and grey streaked through his hair.

I hug him tightly around the bags. He returns it as much as he can before I let go and continue past him.

Basil and I were having a debate about the rise in magickal-technological blends and the spells for them, and I want to continue it. I’m going to win-I even brought a few books to back me up.

…

BAZ

We sit with our trays of takeout and Shepard puts the first movie on.

We’ve figured out how to cast to the telly-as in cast screen, not cast a spell (Penny thought it needed magic at first until Simon pointed out it was made by Normals.)(I thought it needed magic at first too, though I’ll never admit it.)- so we’ve been making our way through Netflix’s selection.

Tonight is horror.

We don’t usually. None of us particularly care for it, but there’s only so many nights we can take of Shepard’s fantasy films-with added commentary-before we’re desperate.

I make my last point in Penelope and I’s debate and she concedes with a huff. I smirk and loop an arm around her shoulder.

“Now, now,” I say. I’m joking, and she knows it because she doesn’t push me away, just rolls her eyes and sighs. “If you had argued that…” I rehash all of her points and make up reasons why they’re wrong. I’m making them more and more wild and outlandish, though, and I can tell she isn’t listening because she doesn’t try to correct me.

“And that,” I finish, leaning back and into Simon, “is why Newton’s third law is utter rubbish and the whole system should be scrapped.”

That’s what finally breaks through to her and she turns slowly. I see my second death in her eyes.

“Okay,” Simon breaks in. He pulls me into him and we watch Penny inhale slowly. Shep’s almost crying, he’s been listening to the whole thing and holding in his laughter so as to not alert Penny.

“First of all, I will kill you,” Penny says slowly. Dangerously. “Second of all, _ I will kill you _ .”

We all wait with our breaths held to see what her next move is.

“You have three seconds. I suggest you  _ run _ .”

I do, jumping off the couch and pulling Simon with me. I’m almost forty, and so is he, but we’re both laughing in between bouts of breathless laughter.

We barricade ourselves in our bedroom. I lean against the door and Simon against me, laying his head on my shoulder. I thread my fingers through his hair and knead slowly.

“You probably shouldn’t of gone after Newton,” he says. Penny did her master’s thesis on his magickal and Normal advancements, and she’ll debate on that for  _ hours _ . Has before, actually.

“Maybe not the best choice,” I concede. Penny thumps on the door behind me.

“Maybe not,” Simon mocks and presses his face harder into my neck. His shoulders shake and his hands grip my waist and he laughs and laughs. Bright and airy and something I’m still so grateful to hear all these years later.

I press a kiss to his forehead and let myself laugh too.

Penny is still ranting to the door, and Shepard has given up trying to stop her-I can hear the telly in the living room playing while he provides a running commentary and critiques the various ghoulies in it. Simon is pressed against me, laughing.

And I’m happy.

We’ve made a home, all of us, and every day we make it just a little better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
